Earlier this year we worked with Erin to create a custom site for her social media boutique business - Pinckney Palm. We've invited Erin to share some of her social media knowledge with our community on our blog today. And since Instagram is THE social media nowadays, learning how to boost your engagement and followers on Instagram can make wonder for your photography business. Shall we?
Pinckney Palm: Three Tips To Increase Your Engagement On Social Media
Hi, friends. Let’s talk about social media engagement today and how you can increase yours + why it matters.
I should start by defining “engagement” as there are so many terms floating around in the social media world. Essentially, an engagement on social media is when someone takes action on you post. They like it, they give you a love, they comment, they share, they view, they click.
This in mind, engagement is one of the most powerful measurement tools you have on social media without digging super deep or investing in outside software. It means your audience was compelled enough by your post to take time out of their life and take action! Plus - Instagram weighs engagements pretty heavy in their algorithm, so you’re more likely to show up in your audience’s feed vs. your competition. You’re also more likely to be suggested as another account to follow so you gain new followers too.
So, how do you increase engagement? Here are three tips you can start implementing now.
1) Ask a question, encourage them to tag a friend or post an emoji.
People like having a task, so give them one. Ask for advice, ask what they’re favorite color palate is for spring weddings, ask what their favorite flower is currently. Encourage people to tag a friend - “Tag your favorite bride(s)-to-be” on a post where you shared a wedding tip. The hand raising emoji 🙋 is a great “who’s with me” way to get someone to post an emoji in the comment. Comments weigh heavy in the algorithm, so encourage them!
2) Go out and engage yourself!
Respond to comments, go comment and engage on other profiles. The more time you spend engaging on Instagram, the happier Instagram is with you. You get what you put in, friends. Every day put a meeting invite on your own calendar, just 10 or even 20 minutes to go engage on social media. Click on a hashtag you love and go find new profiles to follow and comment on. You may be amazed at what this does for your follower count and your own engagement.
3) Post quality content.
You know that song, “You’re So Vain”? I’m pretty sure Carly Simon looked into the future and wrote it about social media. People will like and comment on photos they find beautiful. Use natural light, use professional photography whenever possible, use photos with flowers, puppies and babies. And show your face! People love people and are yearning for deeper and human connections on social media. Bonus - show your friends and family and clients and tag them, this works wonders for posts too!
There you have it, three tips or things to keep in mind to encourage engagement!
Make sure you track your engagement by going to your insights and tracking it to see what works. You can do this on Instagram if you’re a business account by going to the little graph in the upper right corner, clicking on “see more” on posts and changing the top which will first show Impressions to Engagement. On Facebook, go to “Insights” at the top, look at your Posts and see the Engagement column. OR - add your likes and comments together with simple math and that will give you a good idea.
If you have any questions feel free to find me on my gorgeous Squaremuse site at www.pinckneypalm.com and follow me on Instagram (@pinckneypalm) where I share tips on both my feed and Instagram Stories.
Cheers!
Erin
Photo credit Jennifer Collins Photography